Replace battery on a 14 TTS as preventative maintenance?
10-10-2018, 12:24 PM
#1
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Replace battery on a 14 TTS as preventative maintenance?
I picked up a 14 TTS in April... I had a PPI and all checked out ok. The battery is the original battery manufactured in 2013. I drive pretty regularly and when I know I won't drive for a bit, I plug in the charger.
Car starts fine, no obvious issues but I was thinking of replacing as we all know batteries don't last forever and why push it with the colder temps coming (yes I drive it in the winter). A fresh new battery would certainly avoid any related issues...
Or just a waste and wait until I see signs of battery fading....
PS - I searched "battery" and didn't see a closely related topic.
Comments, thoughts, etc. welcome.
Car starts fine, no obvious issues but I was thinking of replacing as we all know batteries don't last forever and why push it with the colder temps coming (yes I drive it in the winter). A fresh new battery would certainly avoid any related issues...
Or just a waste and wait until I see signs of battery fading....
PS - I searched "battery" and didn't see a closely related topic.
Comments, thoughts, etc. welcome.
10-10-2018, 12:36 PM
#2
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Hmmm.... 6-year-old battery going into winter. You are certainly beginning to climb the failure probability bell curve.
I’ve had well-maintained batteries last 10+ years. I’ve rarely had a battery in a DD last more than 6 or 7 years.
On the other hand the needs of the start/stop system demand an ‘oversized’ battery and a charging system that keeps it topped-off, thus well-maintained.
Funny, I was thinking about exactly this yesterday: I will be ‘due’ for 5 battery replacements over the next ~two years.
What’s it cost? $200? If you DIY. The shop manuals specify a number of procedures for resetting things after a power cycle. Power cycle can be avoided with a maintainer in the loop during the swap.
I’ve had well-maintained batteries last 10+ years. I’ve rarely had a battery in a DD last more than 6 or 7 years.
On the other hand the needs of the start/stop system demand an ‘oversized’ battery and a charging system that keeps it topped-off, thus well-maintained.
Funny, I was thinking about exactly this yesterday: I will be ‘due’ for 5 battery replacements over the next ~two years.
What’s it cost? $200? If you DIY. The shop manuals specify a number of procedures for resetting things after a power cycle. Power cycle can be avoided with a maintainer in the loop during the swap.
10-10-2018, 10:32 PM
#4
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Dealer has to be 500-600 at least.
Me? I'm hoping that Durametric will support coding for the battery soon. Not holding my breath though.
10-11-2018, 10:22 AM
#5
Three Wheelin'
I have a 2014 which just crossed the 4 year mark in late August. I had the dealer run a test on the battery and they concluded it was strong and did not need replacement at this time.
10-11-2018, 11:14 AM
#6
I picked up a 14 TTS in April... I had a PPI and all checked out ok. The battery is the original battery manufactured in 2013. I drive pretty regularly and when I know I won't drive for a bit, I plug in the charger.
Car starts fine, no obvious issues but I was thinking of replacing as we all know batteries don't last forever and why push it with the colder temps coming (yes I drive it in the winter). A fresh new battery would certainly avoid any related issues...
Or just a waste and wait until I see signs of battery fading....
PS - I searched "battery" and didn't see a closely related topic.
Comments, thoughts, etc. welcome.
Car starts fine, no obvious issues but I was thinking of replacing as we all know batteries don't last forever and why push it with the colder temps coming (yes I drive it in the winter). A fresh new battery would certainly avoid any related issues...
Or just a waste and wait until I see signs of battery fading....
PS - I searched "battery" and didn't see a closely related topic.
Comments, thoughts, etc. welcome.
edit: I suppose if the 991 battery is oversized and the dealer concludes it doesn't need replacing -- might be a bit premature. I have never seen a battery last longer than 7 years in my lifetime.
10-11-2018, 11:14 AM
#7
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Stealth thanks for info... same info I received back in April. Car turned 4 right around then. I'll keep my ear/eye on it and if cranking seems longer at all I'll make a preventive move. For now, all good.
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10-11-2018, 02:48 PM
#8
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I agree that replacement once it becomes symptomatic is best. There is such a lifespan variation depending on climate/driving etc that it could last several more years.
10-11-2018, 08:46 PM
#11
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I DIY replaced the factory battery with an Odyssey PC1350 when I got my 14 TTS at in March (no recode). While there were zero starting issues and the start/stop function worked it didn't stay shut off for very long (10 seconds?). After the new battery it's much improved and has stayed that way for the last 6k DD miles...I'm guessing maybe 45 seconds on battery with normal accessories on before it refires (and I'm thinking that may be due to A/C/climate control demand rather than low voltage).
Based on posts here I think I'm the tiny minority that uses the start/stop system and wants it to work as designed.
Based on posts here I think I'm the tiny minority that uses the start/stop system and wants it to work as designed.
10-11-2018, 11:51 PM
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... I agree. 6 years of use seems to be 3-sigma for batteries these days. I don't recall seeing a battery in normal use die before it's 6 years old, unless it was totally discharged at some point and then not carefully handled and recharged. This, however, for 'old-school' lead/acid batteries. I have virtually no data for GlassMat batteries like the ones we have in modern Porsches.
10-12-2018, 10:38 PM
#13
Drifting
I replaced my battery after about 5 1/2 years on my 991.1 Carrera S. I didn’t do anything special. After I replaced it everything worked perfectly. I got no warning lights and my start stop mechanism continue to work fine although I never use it.
10-14-2018, 01:49 PM
#14
May be a dumb question....Can't you put a trickle charger on the battery clamps so when you remove battery you still have power to the car....car never knows the battery was swapped....?
10-14-2018, 02:55 PM
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1) loss of battery-backed ECU memory: curable with thoughtful use of a tender
2) coding of battery characteristics into (one of the) control unit(s). This requires the PIWIS laptop.
For #2 the speculation is that the amp-hour spec is needed for start/stop. If you use a battery with a different capacity you’re supposed to ‘tell’ the car about this.